Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called out Nigeria and other West African countries for not obeying the rulings of the ECOWAS Court. He says this shows that leaders in the region do not truly respect the rule of law.
Falana made these comments after President Bola Tinubu praised ECOWAS at its 50th-anniversary celebration in Lagos. Tinubu had said the regional body supports democracy, strong institutions, and fair leadership guided by law and justice.
But on Sunday, June 1, Falana disagreed with Tinubu’s claims. In a public statement, he said ECOWAS leaders have repeatedly ignored the court and failed to follow democratic rules. According to him, this is why the region still faces illegal changes in government.
Falana shared data from the ECOWAS court showing that, as of December 2024, Nigeria had ignored 44 rulings—the highest number among member countries. Togo followed with 27, Guinea with 15, Mali with 10, and Sierra Leone with 9.
He said these governments have treated the court’s decisions with disrespect, offering no legal or political reasons for doing so. Falana also pointed out the irony that some former presidents who once disobeyed the court later turned to it for help after leaving office. These include Charles Taylor of Liberia, Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d’Ivoire, Boni Yayi of Benin, Mamadou Tanja of Niger, and Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso.
Falana also reminded people about Mrs. Doe, the widow of former Liberian leader Samuel Doe, who won a case in the ECOWAS court. Her case shows that the court can still provide justice to ordinary people.
He explained that Article 24 of the ECOWAS court protocol says every member country must pick someone to make sure the court’s rulings are enforced. In 2014, Nigeria chose the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to handle this role.
Falana said Nigeria’s failure to enforce these rulings is very embarrassing, especially because President Tinubu is now the chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State—the highest body in the group.
He ended by urging Tinubu to take action immediately by directing the Attorney-General, Lateef Fagbemi, to make sure Nigeria obeys the ECOWAS court’s judgments without delay.
